By Shira Kramer and Erela Imanoel
Jacob Rapkin, 22, is an up-and-coming figure in Baltimore’s marketing industry.
Raised in Pikesville, Rapkin attended The Boys’ Latin School of Maryland and Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School. He went to Towson University for his undergraduate education. Currently, he attends University of Baltimore as a part-time student while working full time as a production assistant at Strategic Factory and managing The Essen Room’s social media presence.
Rapkin lives in Towson and plans to move to Pikesville, where he is a member of Beth Tfiloh Congregation.
What is Strategic Factory, and what does your job as production assistant entail?
Strategic Factory is growing marketing agency and commercial printer. We help businesses with many types of projects like marketing, signage, promotions, vehicle wraps and any other promotional items. It’s a really great place for people with an entrepreneurial mindset to grow, and I really love it. My position specifically consists of completing various tasks including helping operate our large format printers, helping with customer vehicle wraps and any type of vinyl for storefronts and things like that. I’m currently training to become project manager.
What other marketing ventures are you pursuing?
In addition to Strategic Factory, I also do social media marketing for The Essen Room deli in Pikesville. I started the [Instagram] account around two years ago, and it now has over 3,300 followers. I’m posting daily, responding to customers that need help and just generally helping the business grow. We were just featured in the Jewish Times for best Baltimore deli. I feel like it’s important to help small business, and it’s really cool to see how the business can actually grow just through social media advertisement. I take all the photos I post myself, and I’m responsible for going on Instagram all the time, liking other people’s content, checking on our content to see if it’s received well and just making it all work.
How did you learn about food photography?
Well, I took a photography course in high school that taught the basics of how to take photos, and then I was also an intern at a digital marketing agency in which I was a photographer/videographer doing independent contracts for them as well. I also took it upon myself when I was traveling with family, and I quickly found a market for food photography. I’m hoping to soon start doing real estate photography as well and maybe drone photography as a freelancer. I’m hoping to pursue both photography and social media marketing and many other avenues under that niche.
What is your favorite holiday?
Chanukah for sure. I feel like that’s my favorite holiday because it was always a time for family growing up. My bubbe cooks latkes, we have a nice meal and we light the candles all together. It just really brings the family together. We used to go to Florida for family vacation for winter break, and after we lit the Chanukah candles, we’d play dreidel games and go on a Chanukah light walk to see all the Chanukah lights. It was always a really good experience with my grandparents especially. But outside of that, Shabbat dinners are also really important to me. It gives me an opportunity to spend time with my family and friends regularly. Every now and then, I go over to my grandparents for prayers and my bubbe cooks, and we have a whole shebang dinner with her amazing challah and matzah ball soup.
How do you juggle school and outside work and maintain your mental health?
I try to maintain a couple hobbies. For instance, fishing always gets my mind off things, and golf and hiking as well. I like to just look to my future self and hope that I achieve everything I strive for, like having a family one day and a successful career and seeing how the hustle will actually pay off.
